Megan and Chicken Piccata

God has blessed me with some amazing people in my life that are on a similar journey.  One of them is my friend, Megan.

About a year ago, Megan started having the symptoms of MS.  She having temporary paralysis in different places, a UTI that would not go away and other stuff.  She started the process of seeing a MD then a neurologist and they wanted to run an MRI on her.  But she freaked out during the MRI.  Closed in spaces don't always work for people.  I know I had to talk to God and lift up the prayers of others to make it through mine.  You don't want to focus on yourself.  I think that is probably a good idea for life in general too.

So instead, she went home and her parents had her see a Naturopathic. The lady told her she was gluten intolerant, B12 deficient and some other stuff.  She started the regime the Naturopathic put her on and she became symptom free.  When she does get off the recommended diet her symptoms start to come back.  Interesting . . . .
So Megan has been a great partner in crime on this adventure.  And she introduced me to The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.  And her website: www.elanaspantry.com

Tonight, I am making Chicken Piccata from her cookbook.  It's super delish and then I am just adding some veggies and baked potatoes on the side.  I recommend checking it out (see below, including some product tips to keep the cost low as eating healthy is not cheap in blue).

Gluten Free Chicken Piccata (you can find this at http://www.elanaspantry.com/chicken-piccata/ )


2-4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1½ pounds total)
½ cup blanched almond flour (as you just breading the chicken, you can use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour http://www.bobsredmill.com/ instead as it is cheaper.  You can usually find it at your local health food store like Henry's, Whole Foods and surprisingly some Vons carry it too)
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt (I just use the sea salt I got at Jimbo's)
½ teaspoon all purpose chef's shake (I like the Spice Hunter brand, its at Henry's for all you Cali peeps)
5 tablespoons grapeseed oil (Trader Joe's has it in their brand)
5 tablespoons olive oil (get the expeller cold-pressed olive oil at Trader Joe's)¼ cup fresh lemon juice (William's Sonoma has a great handheld juicer, I highly recommend one as fresh lemon is used a lot)
1 cup chicken stock (Trader Joe's)
¼ cup brined capers (I just get the cheap capers at Vons and drain the juice because I don't want the vinegar--anyone else have a suggestion?)
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, butterflying them open --if the pieces are large, cut them each into two pieces after you cut them in half
Put chicken pieces between two pieces of parchment paper and pound them with a heavy skillet until ¼ inch thick

Mix together flour, salt and chef's shake

Rinse the chicken pieces in water, then dredge thoroughly in flour mixture, until well coated

Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces and brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side

Transfer from pan to a plate, add the other breasts and cook, then remove from pan

Place plate of chicken breasts in the oven while preparing the sauce

Add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to the pan and use a metal spatula to loosen the browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce

Reduce the sauce by half then whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil

Plate the chicken, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley

Serve